Sleigh-runner attachment.



i i INVENTO l yr-@Cz Hells Patented De.18,1917.

A? JAfrrof|-||=v A` WELLS SLEIGH RUNNER ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-20| I9I6-` I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. t i

ALFRED WELLS, 0F VEGA, SOUTH DAKOTA..

alimen-RUNNER ATTACHMENT.

Toall whom z't may concern.' i

Be it kilown that I, ALFnnn WELLS, a citizen. of the United States,residing at Vega, in theicounty of Brille and State of South Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleigl1-RunnerAttachments, 0f which the following 'is a specification.

This invention has relation to sleigh run ner attachments formotorcycles, and the like, and the nature and ohject's: thereof will bereadily apparent to those Skilled in the art to which it-appnrtnins inthe light of ther-following explanation of the tuwom panying drawings,illustrating what I now believe to be the preferred nnihotlitoont.` ormechanical expression, ot my invention from among other forms undurrmigeinents,

i Within the spirit thereof orttie scope oi the appended claims.

However,` nn object. of the invention in to provide n device. forattachment to n ntotorcycle, 'when-ity the suine nnijv hirmployed fortraveling over snow :intl irr. :ind embodying nnnns opernhln hythe-motor of the motorcyclefor tin-#purposes ot' propulsion. t K

Another lobject of the invention is to pro- Vide nn nttnchmont 'for :iinotorryoln ot'i the Character :thorn not forth wherein Ihr inentionrdpropelling menne inni' hw optrntiwly nnsocintiid with the propt-llingxnwlmnism ot" the niottnrnyf-,lo` without alteration i" Huid propellingmechanism. or the :ulditior'i of extra. parte.

In addition to the foregoing' my inten-- tion comprthontls improveinrntsin tho dtvtails of construction n'nil `ftrrnnn'ement of parts to heherrinn'ttcr more fully descrilmd, and particularly set forth in 'theappended claims. f

In ,the accompanying drawings. in which similnr and corresponding pnt-te:iro (lenignoted by the Same ehnrartnre of referentie throughout. theseveral views; in which they npponr, v

Figure 1, is nview in sido elevntion of a motorcycle illustrating: theapplication thereto of `in vinvention` and Fig. 2, istn'horizontnlsection tikken onltiie line 2-2 of'thepreoofling* figure.

lilith reference to thodrnn'ings. 1 and 2 indi-onto respectivelyt-hofront :ind rear wheels of u motorcbfclol of conventional type,

Specification of Letterrlatent.

Application led November 20, 1916. Serial-No. 132,401.

Pzlteiltedbec. 18, 191;?.

and 3 t'hr` motor having the nsnnl drive shnftfl. TheI reni wheel drivenfrom the motor, through the medium of n chain which passes over nsprocket rotntnhhf.:v with the drive shtilft At4 :intl :i `sprocket: 7yrotzitabl with the rear supportingr wheel. .2 0f the 'm0- tornycle. iThe sleigh, runner. :ittnchriientwhich forms n part of* my inventionincludes` n.' forward sleigh riniuer member H hnVing n ground engagingrunner 9 extendingiflongitudiunllv hononth the forward'Supporting'when-'l` :intl haring. :t vertically' extending wel) l0 wliit'h isprovitlorl With :in arcuate cnt-nwny portion 1l in which the peripheryot" the 'torutirrt Supporting wheel 'l is zx'dnpt ml to rest. Theforunrtl endl l1 of the rnnnvr nttntrhnmnt: P i5 curved ulin'nrtlly asin clirnterl. :1nd eonnonterhto t''nefrenti-nlpor-y tion of the handlelmrsliy inefxnstof n sectional rml lli. ttivng interruisefltherein(nl'mil spring: l l.'.fl"lin1v:\r rnd of` the forward runner Aont-tion fils.further securedI to th 'Forward supporting` wheel. by, niennslof,n-nupxtnnrling hrm-,n 15. -1 'The retin wheel 2 Supported npon n rentrunner section connjiriinnnn, lungiti-ulinnllly" extending! groundrngugiug runner Nlti. exf'r tending {winnt-lll townrtl tho wor-ticalCtnterl oli tltt it l? unthfr i'rnlno nnuilwr Yifi ofthe motfircytrltlThe lower intt-tmrtliute portion of tl'|0-U-Slnlpefl lrztn'arl uioni'wril) in ungiportt-tl upo'rl'nlVer#v tionllyV extending! wel 20 which i5elispos'ct'lA hvtwoen nflirl U-shnpori incu'rl'mnnntl itiiehforif wirdterminnl 170i the ren-r rnnner-,frwhe-rehiv the weight of themotorovrqlo whieh...iS-- centralized linntsith the motonnfmy'lie'suit-wV nhlv supported;

Loenttd to one sit-ln of the niotorcyelemnti' l profernhlyuthvernllthnnd Side thereof; iSitt? third runner memlhvrzl hav-ing' n lowerlon ii gttndmnlly extending ground engaging rnn- 4V i 100 ner 2Q and n.vertically extending web .23

supported upon s ni'd runnernrnl'qlniving'ifH formed at its upperportion. n-n enr 24kt` i' Breve rode 25. :md QG, extend from andere theU-shnpefl member. 19in-there@ forlcg 27` of the motorcycle.' the snidhrnce rods'be# ing connectedjto said framememhers hy Ynonnrcte'd to smideen '24 tov one member; of

dium of upwardly converging, 'forward andl rear brace members 30 and 31,secured at their lower ends in longitudinal spaced ears 32 formed on therunner 16, and at their converging. upper ends to the bearing portion atthe lower end of the rear fork 2l. The said braces 30 and 31 'are ofsuch a lengthas to dispose the rear supporting wheel above 'the runner16 to permit free rotation thereof, at all times.

-ground, when the motor of the vehicle is Before applying the 'abovedescribed sleigh runner attachment to a motor vehicle for travel oversnow and ice, it is necessary for the purposesf-this invention to removethe tires from the supporting Wheels. The propelling mechanism of thevehicle is then associated with the same in the following manner: Sidethill members 33 are extended rearwardly from the bearing of the rearsupporting wheel 2 in par-- allelism, and adapted to support at theirrear ends the shaft 34 of a propelling wheel 35 for rotation. The saidwheel 35 is provided with a concentric pulley v36 around which a belt orthe like 37 passes, the same also partially encircling the rearsupporting wheel after the tire has been removed there- 4from whereby acircumferential groove is provided for the reception .of said belt. Theperiphery of the propelling wheel 35 is` provided throughout with radialstuds 38 whereby a vsecure engagement of the wheel with the ground maybe insured. A substantially semi-circular guard 39 may be extended overthe upper :portion of the pro'- pelling wheel and secured to the side`thill 33, to prevent spattering of ice and snow articles during thetravel of,` the machine..

pivoted supporting `member 40 is also connected to-the shaft 321 of thepropelling wheel, said support having a semi-circular member 41 disposedconcentrically' with relation to the support of the propelling Wheel,and adapted for sliding engagement in a guide member or the like 42secured to @one of the 'side thills 33. The supporting member is adaptedfor 'oscillation about its point of connection with the shaft 34 toraise the propelling wheel from lthe to be tested or for other purposes,said support being readily movable to a osition lout of engagement withthe groun to permit lowering of the propelling wheel. f In view of theforegoing the operation off the invention should be obvious, therotation of the rear supporting wheel 2 under the influence of the primemover 3 is trnsmitted to the rear propelling wheel, which throughengagement with the ground urges the machine as a whole forward. Thespeed of the vehicle may be varied by controlling the admission of fuelto the motor in the same manner as the vehicle would be controlled iftraveling upon its supporting wheels. If the forward runner A18 strikesan obstruction in the road, the partial rotation of the forwardsupporting wheel 1, which would result, is taken up by the coil spring14 interposed in the rod 13.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a novel sleigh runnerattachment for inotor cycles wherein the parts of the vehicle arepivotally supported, and wherei'n'the propelling means for use inengagement ,with the snow or ice covered ground is associated with thepropelling 'means of the motorcycle, without alteration of the parts oran addition of others.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree ofparticularity," I realize that in practice various alvterationsthereovcr may be made, and I therefore reserve the right and privilege,

of changing the form of the details of construction, or otherwisealtering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the' scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is tf- 1. A sleigh runner attachment fortwowheeled cycles including runners disposable beneath the supportingwheels of the cycle, braces for supporting the rear wheel out of contactwith its corresponding runner, a ground engaging propelling wheelhavingr a concentric pulley rotatable therewith, means connected to thccycle frame form ing a bearing for the propelling wheel, a flexibletransmission element passed around said pulley and the rear supportingwheel of 'the cycle.

2. A sleigh runner attachment for two.

missin element passing about said pulley and the rear cycle wheel. .I Y

3. A sleigh runner attachment for twowheeled cycles, including aforward, runner disposable beneath the forward supporting wheel of thecycle, a rear runner disposable beneath. the rear supporting wheel ofthe cycle, and extending forward beneath the frame, and havingconnection lwith the cycle ground engaging propelling wheel operableframe, a. 'web disposed beneath the frame by rotation of the rear cyclewheel. 10 Vand supported upon the, rear runner, to sup- In testimonywhereof I ufx my signature ort the intermediate portion of the c'ce in{aree-ence of two witnesses. l5 rame upon said runner, braces exten ingALFRED WELLS.

from the rear runner and to the cycle frame, Witnesses: to sup ort therear supporting wheel thereof W. W. SEDGWICK,

out of engagement with its runner, and 'a HENRYV G. PETERBEN.

